Hollywood actress ANGELINA JOLIE has issued an emotive plea to the Thai government - urging officials to free thousands of Burmese refugees who have been held in camps for up to 20 years.

The star visited the Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee centre in Northern Thailand on Wednesday (04Feb09) as part of her role as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations (U.N.).

Jolie was seen spending time with the residents, talking to young women about their situation and handing out soccer balls to youngsters at the camp.

Thai officials have yet to grant official refugee status to the 5,000 Burmese civilians who fled to the country following conflict across the border in Myanmar, previously known as Burma.

The 111,000 registered refugees who live in nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border are not allowed to venture outside the camps to work or receive higher education.

And Jolie has now called on Thai politicians to take action.

She says in a statement via the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), "I was saddened to meet a 21-year-old woman who was born in a refugee camp, who has never even been out of the camp and is now raising her own child in a camp.

"With no foreseeable chance that these refugees will soon be able to return to Burma (Myanmar), we must find some way to help them work and become self reliant. As with all people, they deserve to have their human rights respected."